www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

USEUROPEAFRICAASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Opinion
Home / Opinion / Chen Weihua

Obama trying to get foothold in Africa

By Chen Weihua | China Daily | Updated: 2013-07-05 07:04

Obama trying to get foothold in AfricaIn the past 10 days, US President Barack Obama has done two quite extraordinary things. On June 25, he rolled out new measures to fight climate change by using his executive powers; then a day later, he left for Africa for a weeklong three-nation visit. It was his first presidential visit to sub-Saharan Africa, except for a brief stop in Ghana in 2009.

His trip to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania was focused on trade. The United States is keen to get a foothold in the continent, as emerging economies, such as China, India, Brazil and Turkey, already have a fast-growing footprint in Africa. In 2009, China overtook the US as Africa's largest trade partner and bilateral trade was close to $200 billion in 2012, compared with $10 billion in 2000, and the direct investment in Africa was $2.9 billion in 2012. China has been building roads, bridges, airports and other infrastructure, and its investment in manufacturing has equaled its investment in mining. In 2011, more than 1 million Chinese visited the continent.

Obama said he does not feel threatened by the growing trade and investment in Africa by emerging economies such as China, but he quickly made a pointed remark: "If someone says they want to come build something here, are they hiring African workers? If somebody says that they want to help you develop your natural resources, how much of the money is staying in Africa?"

Obama trying to get foothold in Africa

However, Mwangi Kimenyi, director of the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution, said Obama's visit is just a "guilt trip". He said the idea that China is not helping Africans is nonsense. "China works with Africans, and we have seen major opportunities opening up because of China," he said.

It is common for US leaders to point accusing fingers at China when visiting Africa. But the lack of interest in Africa among US citizens is obvious despite the fact that 13 percent of its population is African-American.

While many emerging economies see Africa as a growing force, many in the US are still guided by the outdated view of Africa as a "hopeless continent looking for handouts", to use the words of Kimenyi.

The lack of interest is also reflected in the news media. For example, CNN International runs a wonderful program called Inside Africa, but it is simply not available in the US. Meanwhile China's State broadcaster China Central Television devotes more time to African news than any major network in the US.

Obama may not realize that while he was busy meeting officials and announcing a multibillion-dollar electricity initiative, intended to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, which he hopes will be his legacy in Africa, most US broadcasters had zero coverage of his trip or at most 40-second clips.

In sharp contrast, the trial of George Zimmerman, who is accused of second-degree murder in a case that has triggered a heated racial debate in the US, has received unlimited airtime for weeks.

There is no doubt that companies from all countries, including China, must constantly improve their practices in Africa, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. Yet Obama should first get more US citizens, including himself, interested in Africa, instead of throwing a jab at other countries.

That is the best way for the US to play catch-up in Africa.

The author, based in Washington, is deputy editor of China Daily USA. E-mail: chenweihua@china-dailyusa.com

(China Daily 07/05/2013 page8)

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 日韩黄色视屏 | 欧美精品高清在线观看 | 女人张开腿让男人桶视频 | 免费人成在观看 | 国产国语高清在线视频二区 | 特级毛片永久久免费观看 | 亚洲欧美日韩精品久久久 | 高清毛片一区二区三区 | 亚洲成成品网站有线 | 国产精品日本一区二区在线播放 | 国产乱子精品免费视观看片 | 男人和女人的做刺激性视频 | 婷婷国产成人久久精品激情 | 国产在线播放免费 | 日韩在线不卡一区在线观看 | 久久毛片免费看一区二区三区 | 国产高清美女一级毛片久久 | 亚洲第5页| 国产在线综合一区二区三区 | 久久精品6| 97国产在线观看 | 福利视频专区 | 国产亚洲福利一区二区免费看 | 亚洲精品日韩专区在线观看 | 亚洲高清色 | 国产午夜精品久久久久免费视 | 成年人免费黄色片 | 欧美亚洲另类久久综合 | 女同日韩互慰互摸在线观看 | 国内自拍一区 | 国产特黄一级毛片特黄 | 一级a毛片免费观看久久精品 | 精品免费久久久久欧美亚一区 | 国产主播福利精品一区二区 | 日韩亚洲欧美一区噜噜噜 | 男女视频免费 | 亚洲 欧美 精品 | 欧美成人午夜毛片免费影院 | 永久免费91桃色福利 | 欧美精品一区二区在线观看 | 亚洲成人性视频 |